DAILY Photo by Jonathan Palmer Offensive and defensive scout teams watch the starting 22 players run drills at practice at Elkmont High on Wednesday. Elkmont's coach Chad McGehee must replace 11 who played and graduated last season.The Red Devils went 6-4 in Class 3A, Region 8 in 2005.

Elkmont: Help wanted
Red Devils counting on young
players to step up in 2006

Third in a series.

By Bradley Handwerger
DAILY Sports Writer
bhandwerger@decaturdaily.com · 340-2462

ELKMONT — Chad McGehee took over an Elkmont High football program in 2005 that had gone 1-9 in back-to-back seasons.

DAILY Photo by Jonathan Palmer Elkmont Red Devil head coach Chad McGehee is looking for help from his younger players.

He led the Red Devils to a 6-4 finish and a tie for fourth in Class 3A, Region 8.

The task in his second season in charge — replace 11 seniors, all of whom played and contributed, with mostly freshmen and sophomores.

"Those younger kids are really going to have to grow up in a hurry, but I feel good about them," McGehee said. "They're pretty athletic kids."

McGehee, though, knows athleticism can take youths only so far.

"The thing that's going to bite us is that experience, that drop-off coming from eighth-grade football," McGehee said. "Varsity football on Friday night is different."

Leading the youth movement will be sophomore quarterback Jonathan Carter, who replaces the graduated Wesley Guthrie. Carter has big shoes to fill as Guthrie finished the year with more than 1,100 passing yards.

Tight end Tim Wooldridge said the team knows it's in good hands, no matter how old — or young — the starting quarterback may be.

"The spring game really helped out," said Wooldridge, who caught 28 passes for 548 yards as a junior.

"Before that, everyone was like, 'We aren't going to have a quarterback.' Jonathan wasn't doing really good in practice. Then in the spring game, he stepped up and did real good."

According to Wooldridge, Elkmont defeated Lawrence County 32-28 in that game, in large part because of Carter. Following that, the team had reason to put forth 100 percent effort during summer workouts, Wooldridge said.

"If it hadn't happened, everyone wouldn't have worked as hard," Wooldridge said.

And if breaking in a new, young quarterback isn't hard enough, McGehee's offense also has to replace its stable of running backs.

Gone are Steven Laye and Ryan Woods. In their place are seniors Matthew Compton and Chance Newby, as well as freshman fullback Brandon Baker.

That trio will have to make up for almost 1,500 yards of ground offense, though McGehee doesn't sound real concerned. In fact, he sounds extremely confident that bunch will get the job done without missing a beat.

"We run three running backs," McGehee said.

"The kid in the middle is able to get the tough yardage. Our kids on the edge, they can get it outside and make really good cuts."

That confidence is spilling over to the players. No matter the situation senior offensive lineman Chris Barnett said, the team knows it's on the right track.

That's what happens when you break out of a rut and start winning again.

"We just didn't believe in each other going 1-9," Barnett said. "We're starting to win and starting to work together as a team. (McGehee) knows a lot of what he's talking about."

Still, McGehee said that for the program to continue on an upward trend, the first three games of the season are crucial.

The Red Devils open the season at nemesis Ardmore, travel to region rival Clements and then host Lexington in another region game.

But the date circled is definitely Sept. 1, when Elkmont opens at Ardmore.

"Anytime you play your rival in the first game, if you lose, it's hard to get the kids back," McGehee said. "If you win, you're in good shape, unless you get so caught up in winning that game."

However, going 1-2 to open the season isn't the end of the world. Elkmont opened the 2005 campaign with a win over Ardmore, then lost two straight.

The key, McGehee said, is to make sure the players put that all in the past.

"The thing is, you regroup and forget about it and it's over," McGehee said. "We still have an opportunity to compete for a playoff."

Wooldridge wants to make the playoffs. But he also wants the respect that comes with one of the four coveted Region 8 postseason spots.

"Colbert County. Sheffield. Lauderdale County. All those teams that have been up there every year," Wooldridge said. "We're just now getting
there."

Elkmont schedule, '05 results

Sept. 1 at Ardmore

Sept. 8 at Clements*

Sept. 15 Lexington*

Sept. 22 at West Limestone*

Sept. 29 Madison Academy

Oct. 6 Lauderdale County*

Oct. 13 Colbert Heights*

Oct. 20 at Sheffield*

Oct. 27 at Colbert County*

Nov. 3 Tanner

*-Class 3A, Region 8

vs. Ardmore W, 28-21

vs. Madison Acad. L, 21-0

at Lauderdale Co. L, 27-14

vs. West Limestone W, 28-21

at Clements W, 42-6

vs. Rogers W, 14-12

vs. Sheffield L, 20-16

at West Morgan W, 21-16

at Colbert County L, 34-7

at Tanner W, 28-7

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